Jan

12

Study: HIPAA breaches on the rise

By Dom Nicastro

Patient information data breaches climbed 32% in 2011, according to the Ponemon Institute’s “2011 Benchmark Study on Patient Privacy and Data Security” report, released in December 2011.

Breaches cost the healthcare industry about $6.5 billion each year, according to report from the Traverse City, MI,-based institute, which conducts independent research on privacy, data protection, and information security policy.

Sloppy mistakes by staff members and unsecured mobile devices cause many of the breaches, according to the study.

The 72 hospitals and healthcare providers that participated in the study averaged four data breaches each over the last two years, putting patient’s PHI at high risk, the study concludes.